I always book though DialAFlight. Bobby is very good
Excellent service from my very first phone call to George up until our flight. Have recommended at least two other people who have now booked with you
Once again Raj and team excelled. Unable to fault DialAFlight from start to finish.
All great as expected
From leaving Heathrow to arriving in JNB and collecting our car hire it was smooth and excellent. No issues at all. Would highly recommend DialAFlight to all.
Thank you to Les and his team for their care and attention ensuring all went perfectly with our flight.
Fantastic service
Liked the fact that you got me a seat in the back row next to a window
Nicholas Brew was fantastic, made our holiday totally stress free
We still don’t know why we go through security twice at Addis? Is it just that it applies to people with special assistance like me. It would be helpful to know so that we can reassess our plans at Addis. Other than a delay at Geneva because the Swiss lost a passenger everything went well.
As usual all went smoothly
Roger Smith was excellent - from the initial contact through to getting everything booked and sorted re our flights to South Africa. And have already booked further flights via him.
Nice to be able to talk to someone about requirements and options
As usual Joey and team were excellent and highly recommended
Nicky Degun is definitely the most helpful agent that we have ever worked with. Thank you so much Nicky. We’ll definitely use your services again.
The holiday went without fault - good flights much better than BA. The only annoying thing was the hotel which was supposed to be next to the airport was £20 each way. Other than that it was a great holiday.
I flew on Qatar for the first time and the experience was great.
Teddy has always been so helpful and your company in our opinion is the best .
Very attentive, helpful and efficient. Your service was impeccable, thank you
First class service and comms - will definitely use again
First Class as always
DialAFlight did deliver but accommodation at one stop was poor and would not recommend
The holiday could not have been better. Saf did an amazing job, both initially in creating the trip I wanted, and thereafter in advice and checking everything was OK. If I could have made it a 6 out of 5 I would have!
Liam was exceptional with his assistance in arranging this trip - everything was smooth. Thank you so much - you have a great team - knowledgeable and supportive. En pointe for meeting our requirements.
Amazing holiday. Your service was great all the way
Great service from Stan Castle.
Great customer service
Christopher Briggs is always amazingly helpful.
Thank you Chris for all your help. All went smoothly - apart from the stomach upset Angela thinks she got from the meal she ate in the lounge at Terminal 5
Our flight from Nelspruit to Jo burg was delayed so we nearly missed our flight to Heathrow. Maybe we should have had an earlier flight, if we hadn’t checked our luggage through to Heathrow we would have definitely missed the flight. But all in all it worked and thank you.
To millions of film fans, it will always be the romantic place where Meryl Streep embarked on a passionate affair with Robert Redford's big-game hunter in Out Of Africa.
The Oscar-winning movie was set in Kenya's breathtakingly beautiful Masai Mara, a place teeming with wildlife. And the views? Simply majestic.
And it's here, in the Mara's Olpurken Plain, that a new safari lodge dubbed 'the ultimate in Africa' has opened. That may seem like a bold assertion - but Steve Fitzgerald is more entitled than most owners to be brazen.
Steve and his wife Nicky are well known in the high-end safari industry after running the Conservation Corporation, which later became andBeyond.
They stepped away from andBeyond in 2009, and Nicky was enjoying being 'very good at doing nothing'. But in 2013, Steve got a call from Kenya that changed everything: Ol Kurruk, that 'ultimate site in Africa', had become available.
Steve and Nicky had long coveted Ol Kurruk - perched high on three rocky hills called kopjes. With its links to Out Of Africa and the amazing location, it's not difficult to see why.
The lodge the couple have now built is called Angama - Swahili for 'suspended in mid-air' - and with its eagle's-eye view of the plain, guests agree that there are few camps to compete. The lodge design itself would have to be something special to match this jaw-dropping environment - and it more than meets the challenge.
Together with South African architects Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, in just a year, and from one single, simple sketch doodled on a napkin, Steve has built a quirky, beautiful safari camp.
Angama is divided into identical twin lodges, each comprising 15 tents, to ensure intimacy and privacy. The architecture of the lodges might remind a well-travelled guest of Mali's whimsical mud buildings, or Zimbabwe's iconic ruins; for a film buff, they might resemble the buildings of Luke Skywalker's home planet Tatooine. But the wholly original concept owes most to an outright flight of fantasy and imagination.
To inhabit this space is to experience pure luxury. The delight and comfort of guests takes priority. The gym, infinity pool, fire pit and every single tent boast undisturbed views of the vast plains below.
The interiors are playful, original and stylish. Recliners, chairs, benches, beds and baths have all been created by top designers - and mixed with South African shabby chic style.
Privacy is prized. Even honeymooning guests are encouraged not to sleep with their tent blinds closed, all the better to enjoy the breathtaking sunrise upon awakening. They are secure in the knowledge that no one will peer in, save black fish eagles soaring past, or perhaps a curious zebra that has been brave or foolish enough to navigate its way up the steep cliff face.
Waking before sunrise, as one must on safari for a game drive, is both a privilege and a joy. The view of the sun rising over the plains, as multi-coloured balloons from Governors Camp drift by, makes every morning a feast of photo opportunities, and delivers memories to last a lifetime.
Once guests have wound their way down the steep mountain road from the camp to the plain (stopping respectfully to wait for zebras and elephants to cross, or just enjoy the view), the game experience offered by the Masai Mara remains as superlative as even the most picky visitor could demand.
And because the lodge is situated on the more exclusive north side of the Mara River, in an area known as The Triangle, there are considerably fewer lodges and hotels in the vicinity, meaning there are also significantly fewer vehicles to contend with when viewing the animals.
Whether you choose to visit during the fabled migration ?(July to October,) or at other times, there is wildlife in huge numbers around every corner.
Angama offers a flexible approach to game viewing. There is, of course, the option of that magical balloon flight launched from Governors Camp, or a guided walk or bird safari with the camp's knowledgeable and charismatic resident Masai.
Guests are not tied to a routine of a three-hour game drive in the morning and another in the evening. At Angama you can set off with both breakfast and lunch picnics packed, to explore for as long as you wish. Our record was nine hours out at one go.
Nicky has opened many hotels, restaurants and lodges over her long career, and her credo has always been: 'Will our guests love this?' As a guest who has just returned home, and who still finds her thoughts turning to balloons drifting over plains teeming with wildebeest, zebra, hippos, rhino, giraffe, leopards and lions (not to mention dreaming of a certain dashing blond American movie star hurtling over the horizon in a small plane), I can answer categorically: 'No question. Yes.'
First published in the Mail on Sunday - March 2016
More articles below...
Not quite what you're looking for?
We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements
Clients range from TV companies to Space agencies, investment banks to firms recruiting nurses, doctors and teachers around the world. One saves tigers, elephants and and orang-utans, another clears landmines around the world.
But they all have one thing in common. They love the unique DialAFlight approach. Read more here
Let us extend the personalised service of your booking into your holiday with great prices on business class flights ready to add a touch of class to your trip.
Take the stress out of travelling with a host of wonderful perks on offer from priority check-in and premium lounge access to chauffeur service and fine in-flight dining, plus the supreme comfort of a fully-reclining seat.
Call us to see how much you could save on Business Class flights.
Airport Lounges from £25
Once you’re through security leave the crowds, kids and chaos behind you with a visit to one of our comfortable airport lounges.
All offer complimentary food, drinks, wifi and newspapers with some also including Fastrack through security. Prices from £25.
Use our speedy private transfer service to avoid the stress of finding your way out of the airport terminal and looking for a taxi or bus on arrival.
With our meet and greet service, our driver will meet you in the arrivals hall. They will monitor flight arrival times giving you peace of mind that someone will be waiting for you with a name board even if your flight is late.
They will then assist you with your luggage and organise a private transfer directly to your hotel - there’s no waiting around for other passengers for shared transfers!
So no queues, no delays and less stress.
What could be better than giving someone the Gift of Travel?
Starting at just £50, with no maximum value, DialAFlght's 'Gift of Travel' vouchers make the perfect present for any occasion or celebration.
And it couldn't be simpler to organise, just contact one of our travel experts today and they will organise a personalised travel voucher to be sent out.
BACK TO TOP
